Thanks to Ralph Emerson for leads on the cookware coating. I checked out Whitford. The coating used apparently is Eclipse, a 3 layer coating that uses ceramic. The info on the ceramic is hard to find, but can be located in a pdf file using a Google search on "Whitford Ameriware". Contrary to the Ameriware hawkers, it does not contain titanium. There is another Whitford product containing titanium called QuanTanium. The Eclipse coating appears to be one of the best. Whitford also produces the Excaliber coating used on stainless steel. Eclipse has been tested by Whitford to have a longevity 10 times greater than the next best "internally reinforced" coating tested by pushing a weighted Scotch-Brite pad across a coated surface. The Eclipse survived greater than 200,000 cycles with non-stick coating intact. So regardless of whether or not you like the Ameriware marketing, it appears that the cookware is sound. Their netsite has inflated prices. If you like the Eclipse coating on a pan and don't need to settle for the same sizes that Ameriware offers, check out the Sam's Club Member's Mark Hard Anodized cookware. You may do without a frying pan and have different sized sauce pans, but get Eclipse cookware at 1/4 th the price - about $100. And it's a nicer looking set. Does not appear to have nonstick on the outside like the Ameriware. Research before you jump. There's something to be said for being tight. Happy shopping.

Quick update. I visited Sam's Club to see the cookware. It is labeled with the Eclipse nonstick. There are 2 rivets not covered with nonstick. The Ameriware have 3 rivets and are covered with nonstick. The handle is cast in stainless steel in a shape similar All Clad, but it has a bead blasted (matte) finish. So unlike the Ameriware, you may expect that food will stick to the rivets. I expect the cookware to remain nonstick for a long time because of the Eclipse finish. The Member's Select has a steamer that fits the same lid as the bottom pot. Price was $108 and change. The 12 inch frying pan does not have a lid to match. The cookware is made of thick aluminum, anodized. Made in China. Designed in America.

I've sold Cutco knives previously and love having reliable cutlery and since I sold for them did a LOT of research on quality, how they were made and the importance of a US owned company.

I saw the Ameriware and asked a lot of construction questions of the seller (Costco). I must admit he did answer almost all of them to my satisfaction. The construction of the pan is made with a titanium/aluminum alloy/mix. The alluminum (I know from selling Cutco cookware) makes a GREAT even conductor, giving even heat to the whole pan. The ceramic was new to me, and thought it a great. I also asked about the rivets. Nickel based alloy which was good. Some companies use cheap steel or brass rivets which expand and contract from heat and cooling, causing them to loosen (see knives with brass rivets). Nickel (again, knew this from Cutco) has a lower expansion rate and is great for the heating and cooling so they won't loosen or make gaps where food can get stuck and cause bacterial buildup.

I've just bought a set as I still had some OLD pans from my mother (I'm 26) and need something decent since I do like to cook. I can't see why these wouldn't and the price WAS reasonable ($399) for a full set of cookware. At least I thought so compared to other high-quality sets I've seen retail. We'll see how it holds up:). If anything I'm keeping the receipt and warranty info, and just use one pan for now. If after a month I don't like, back to Costco it goes.

Is the surface ceramic or PETE? The series of postings is not clear about that. Sure feels like a plastic/Teflon surface.

I found this site because the pan shows signs of wear after the first use! I used a plastic tool to "saute" diced potatos and onions without any oil. The food worked well - though clearly the oil helps develop and spread the flavors.

The pan needed some light scouring to clean it - I was surprised. When I dried it I noticed that a small bubble had come up out of the surface and there are several light scratches. I will probably cart them back to Costco and ask for my money back. Doesn't seem right.[]

I would be surprised to find that the pan was an alloy of aluminum and titanium. From the label on the Ameriware it appears to be a claim that the nonstick finish is ceramic and titanium. In any case, it is also surprising that the labeling does not state that Eclipse is used as the finish. Do a Google search on "Whitford Ameriware" and bring up the pdf file. The only reference in there to Ameriware is in a picture of the Ameriware frying pans. You may be thinking of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) rather than PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) which is a good oven/microwave save plastic mainly used in reheatable food containers. PTFE is sold under the Dupont label as Teflon. So if Ameriware is saying that it has no Teflon, they may be technically correct as long as they get their PTFE from a non Dupont source. Check out Whitford (whitfordww.com) for their pan coatings. Even Whitford admits that their top layer is PTFE. I suppose the best way to get correct info is to correspond with Ameriware. I am not sure that you will get the best info from the sales people. Ameriware is a marketing company, not a manufacturer. Check them out on the bbb.org site. It redirects to labbb.org (Los Angeles bbb) and reflects a Burbank company. You could also ask Vollrath. Absent labeling on the pan, it will be hard to tell the source or makeup of the nonstick surface. As far as I can tell, none of the Whitford coatings include both ceramic and titanium, but maybe they have one not noted on their site.

) shows that Ameriware uses Eclipse on their pans. I can find no other source for the Ameriware pan coatings. Ameriware advertises that their nonstick coating contains both ceramic and titanium and does not have a sticker for or advertise the use of Eclipse.

Does Whitford make the coating for Ameriware pans made by Vollrath? Whitford is the supplier of the nonstick coating used on the Ameriware line of cookware. Does Whitford have a coating containing both ceramic and titanium. Our standard Eclipse does not contain titanium. Ameriware asked us to develop an Eclipse product which included titanium for added durability. Ameriware is the only customer to which we supply this formulation. And if, as shown in the pdf file, Eclipse is used on Ameriware pans, why does Ameriware not name Eclipse as their nonstick coating? Whitford does not require that our customers use our trade marks. Finally, is it true that Eclipse uses PTFE, not from Dupont, so that it is the same substance, but not the same name? PTFE is the nonstick component used in virtually every quality nonstick coating from any supplier of nonstick coatings. "Teflon" is a trade mark of E.I. Dupont for their particular PTFE products. Yes, Eclipse also uses PTFE as the nonstick component.

Your questions are probably triggered by the media comments regarding the safety of nonstick coatings. In fact, the furor is caused by a processing aid (C8 of PFOA) used in the manufacturer of PTFE and not the PTFE itself. Many new test reports have been coming out that show that there is no residual C8 or PFOA in the nonstick of coated cookware. As you can imagine, we have gotten many inquiries on the subject. I am attaching a recent peer reviewed report which is heavy on the science, but the conclusion in the last paragraph has the synopsis concerning nonstick cookware.

Please let me know if we can be of further assistance.

Best regards,

John Badner

So, indeed, Ameriware does have ceramic and titanium in the coating and the coating is provided by Whitford. Since the custom coating contains titanium, technically it is not Eclipse; it is like Eclipse extra. There was also a pdf attachment which I did not attach here since it is 76K in size, but if you want it posted, I will drop it in, assuming that there is a way to insert attachments. John Bader said that it is technical, just up your alley. Or if interested, post your email address and I will send individually.

On a further note, I asked John Bader of Whitford if the addition of the titanium improved the durability of the coating. His response was that addition of the titanium to Eclipse provided a

Quote:

marginal improvement in abrasion resistance. The major improvement was in the talking point of the coating containing titanium.

I looked at the pdf file and it was very technical. It was a step by step on a procedure to extract perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from a pan surface using water, ethanol and methanol at elevated temperatures. Good bedtime reading.

The technical document sent to you by John Badner discussed the process for removing PFOA from the coating. Do we have any evidence or assurance that Ameriware pans were so cleansed? Is the process described standard proceedure?

First of all, thanks to ALL of you for your diligence in research and for sharing your information. I just purchased a set of Vollrath Ameriware at Costco yesterday; in regards to Heather Constable's post that you are dealing with Ameriware and not Vollrath, I thought others should note the warranty card that came with the set.

*******************
It states:

FULL 25-YEAR WARRANTY

All Ameriware Professional with PRO-Series PLUS cookware is fully warranted against defects in material and workmanship for a period of twenty-five years. Your cookware was constructed with the finest quality materials for lasting performance.

This warranty does NOT cover cookware used in food service settings, damage caused by overheating or other abuse, normal wear and tear to the cookware or the non-stick material, or surface imperfections which will not impair it's functional utility. Over time, surface imperfections may appear in the non-stick material. This is considered normal and will not affect the non-stick performance of the cookware.

If a defect in workmanship or materials appears during the warranty period, return the cookware, freight prepaid to: THE VOLLRATH COMPANY, INC., 1236 North 18th Street, Sheboygan, Wisconsin 53082-0611, and it will be replaced without charge.

This warranty gives you specific legal right, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.

Thank you for your purchase.

Please retain this card for your record and return the warranty envelope.
***************************

In light of the warranty card, it does appear that the purchaser would be relying on the manufacturer Vollrath, not Ameriware the marketing company, for defect in workmanship or material replacements ( which, as the warranty stated, do NOT include the non-stick surface ).

I'm returning my set to Costco; I have a very good 14-piece set of professional non-stick cookware that I have been happy using for two years, and it looks better than the Ameriware, and I've had no problems with the non-stick surface durability. I was planning on handing down my existing set to my son and his fiancee, but it looks like that won't be happening. CDV

Skipping to the bottom of the analysis of the various pans in the extraction of perfluorooctanic acid, the experimenter was unable to extract any significant amount of PFOA. He commented that the finding was not surprising as "Fluoropolymers are typically manufactured near ambient temperature. Fabrication processes, such as used to coat cookware, require temperatures of greater than 300 degrees C (typically 350 to 450 degrees C). These temperatures, and the large surface area of the coating material, would easily vaporize any PFOA (boiling point 189 degrees C) that may have originally been present." "Under common cooking conditions and using food simulants (water and water/ethanol), no PFOA is detected from either coated or uncoated cookware with detection limits as low as 100 pg cm^-2."

Sorry, I was unable to figure out if I could attach the pdf file. Attempted with failure.

just want to know how the ameriware cookware holds up and if anyone has had to return them

I purchased mine in June 2005. I will be returning the set this coming week.
Even though I have been using the plastice utensils, I have scratches in my pots and pans. Yesterday I noticed, that small particles are staring to come loos............all I can say, I'm very thankfull to have purchased the set at Costco

I found this discussion as I have had a set of Ameriware nonstick cookware for several years and just bought a new piece at Costco. I realize it is overpriced, but so is the much advertised All-Clad brand. I like the cookware very much. It heats evenly and quickly. The nonstick surface on my pans is as good as new. The only downside is that I don't get the little bits of browned food which add so much flavor using a nonstick surface. Also, the handles get very hot and the plastic covers are a pain to take on and off. I left a pan in the oven with the plastic wrapping and forgot to take it out when I later turned on the oven. The plastic melted all over the pan and I could not remove it off the outside. I returned the pan and a replacement was sent promptly. I also melted the plastic handles and was given new ones. I enjoyed reading your research on the product and the company, but I still recommend the cookware.

Yes, the Makers Mark have uncovered highly polished rivits, which do collect some cooking debris and browned color. I use dish detergent on a toothbrush to clean them and the places the handles attach, so there are no accumulated food particles to contaminate the cooking. After about a year, no metal utensils used in cooking, the surfaces seem like new, the bottoms have some brown stains from grease that was cooked on, but it will come off if cleaned properly. The pots and pans seem to be a good value so far, even when food (pasta) was left in one of the large pots and forgotten about (put away for days, thought it was cleaned) It cleaned out with no smell left in the pot or on the cover, but I did have to clean it with tomato sauce and vinegar to get the smell out. Cooking is done on a gas stove - meat, veggies, pasta, fish, lots of rice dishes, you name it. I have used stainless steel, cast iron, glass, ceramic, and aluminum cookware, and like all of them for various jobs, but these are generally the easiest to take care of and clean. Only regret, there are fewer covers than pots, but I had some glass covers left from other pans, almost fit the frying pans, are usable. The largest covered pan is a bit on the large and heavy side for some sinks and people. - Jack G. in Rochester NY

I have had my Ameriware cookware for about 2 years, it is without question the best cookware I have ever owned... My last set was Circulon, which is peeling and food gets stuck in the ridges. I have tried them all, and have told my friends and family to buy Ameriware from Costco. I also love the fact that it is made in America!!!!!!...Kathy

Many contributors to the discussion subthread on PTFE miss several key points. Some have tried to clear things up though...let me try by adding the term "PFC"

1. When Calphalon says they don't use "Teflon", they are telling the truth. But, what they aren't telling you is their coating is in the CLASS of perfluorochemicals ..PFC !
As mentioned, I searched this entire thread, and not one person has mentioned the term PFC. And this is important! Don't miss this point:

Teflon is a brand of PTFE which is a type of PFC. And the entire list of chemicals in the PFC family is suspect. This includes ALL PTFE formula's (Dupont's formulas: Teflon, Dupont Autograph, Gore's formula, Calphalon's formula, and Scanpan's formula)

So, if you're writing to a cookware company and want to know more about the non-stick coating...ask them if it includes ANY PFC chemical at all, which includes ANY PTFE, ANY PFOA, ANY PFOS...get my point ? Some of you need to quit focusing on Teflon (it's too specific...if a manufacturer uses a PTFE it might just be "generic Teflon" and companies like Calphalon & Scanpan can tell you a 1/2 truth because you've asked the wrong question! And other's need to quit focusing on PTFE or how it is bonded to the pan (whether IN a ceramic/titanium "matrix" or BONDED ON TOP OF a ceramic/titanium matrix)...or any other type of bonding mechanism.

- Skip Bogard
who btw...as one data point...met a girl friend in 2000. She was diagnosed
with Myeloma (a blood cancer) in 2001 at age 41, I asked her to marry me in 2002,
and we married May 31 2003. Sadly, my wife passed May 31, 2005. She saw herself
as a sort of health fanatic, and was shocked when she learned she had cancer and
was given about 3 years to live...even with chemo treatments.

Now, interestingly, she religiously had Stanley Steemer clean her carpets once a month & had 'em ScotchGarded when her children were growing up. And PFOS (in the pre-2000 Scotchgard formula...now banned by the EPA) has been implicated in damaging the thymus in humans & animals. The thymus is involved in the production of T-cells
(a type of white blood cell)...and the T-cells in Myeloma (the blood cancer she had) have been shown to be functionally defective (they are "stupid" and can't identify a Myeloma cancer cell, so they are allowed to proliferate.)

Much research is going on on trying to grow T-cells outside the body and then infusing them into a blood cancer patient (for treating Myeloma & some lymphomas). Or, you can alternatively infuse T-cells the old fashioned way...by getting them from a matched donor...like a brother or sister who can be a donor in a bone marrow transplant (now a-days, these are pretty obsolete except for some blood cancers...and they do blood stem-cell transplant...and use the stem cells to grow T-cells from those.

But I digress....my life has been focused on cancer for 3 years and I haven't spent much time picking up pots....I've spent more time eating hospital food and holding my wife's hand.

She didn't have a match donor brother or sister who could give her blood stem cells
to then generate new T-cells (the cancer killers), or her B-cells (another white blood cell...and a percentage of these were the cancer cells in her...that is Myeloma is a cancer of the B-cells....and of a more mature "adult" B-cell called the Plasma cell.

Live well.

Just one data point...among many out there if you take the time to look....at PFC's...